A conventional nacelle for a turbofan gas turbine engine comprises three major components: an intake, fan cowl doors and a thrust reverser unit. These turbofan engines also incorporate a fan containment system attached to an engine fan casing. The fan cowl doors are generally C-shaped that are each opened by a power opening system and hold-open rods for access to fan casing mounted accessories. The thrust reverser unit also comprises two generally C-shaped doors that are each opened by a further power opening system and hold-open rods for access to the core engine and other core mounted engine accessories.
This conventional arrangement is disadvantaged in that there are two independent power opening system and hold-open rods for the fan cowl doors and thrust reverser doors. Furthermore, the prior art nacelle comprises a joint between each section which leads to an undesirable disturbance in airflow over the nacelle inner and outer surfaces with resultant aerodynamic drag losses. This arrangement also requires substantial fire insulation material around the large fan casing chamber inward of the fan cowl doors. Thus the conventional arrangement is heavy and costly to manufacture and is disadvantaged by requiring two sets of doors to be opened for access to the engine.